Page:The Indian Antiquary, Vol. 4-1875.djvu/80

 Mabch, 1875.] NOTES ON THE THiNA COLLECTORATE. 67 lives comfortably on his pay at Knvad, some twelve miles away. There are six iniim villages belonging to this temple, the proceeds of which are mostly expended on absentee dignitaries of this sort. I really think that when state pro- perty is alienated for the support of religion, it would Ije worth while for the state to see that it is so applied; the temple here, a fine one though modern, is not half kept up ; and as the worship ofWazreswar consists to a great ex- tent in washing in good hot water, it is de ing of support on sanitary grounds. The Gaik- vad has recently added to the temple a large matjdap of timber, with a tiled roof emboli* among other things, with a picture-gallery mainly recruited from the backs of French com- fit-boxes, of which the chief and most conspicu- ous work of art is ft portrait of Mabel Grey in a riding-habit. The goddess herself is a rode stone female figure, holding in her right hand the short Roman-looking sword from whi< derives her name. West of Wadowli is Ganespuri, which contains the lowest gronp of hot springs : the temperature of these is higher than at either Kfimeswar or WazrfibAi, but still not up to boiling-point; and there is no other differ- eni'O. There is here a temple of Mahadeva, with cisterns like those at Riimeswar. This temple is said to have been built by Ramfiji Mahadeva Bivalkar, Sar-Subedar of Kalyiin under the last Peshwa, and looks much as if it had been. But there are two stones lying in front of it which evidently once formed part of a much older building. The one ap- pears to have surmounted a window or small door, and is covered with a very finely ami deeply carved foliage pattern surrounding a Hitting figure, probably of Yisbnu, about four inches high. The other is a bracket* formed of a naked female figure of much grace and truth, in the position of the lady on tho her- aldic Irish harp. She has a curious sort of in, quite different from the coiled pigtail of the modern Hindu beauty, but exactly re- sembling those of some female figures at A m - b a rn a t h. I am disposed, however, to surmise that she is not exactly a contemporary of theirs. ■ It J9 deeply pierced abore, nnd Horvwl apparently to support a flftgatafr. or part .if I" <A i.f a well. (Or probably a bran or ilyinjr bracket under a lintel. — Ed.) i Compare the legend of W ft 1 n k e « w a r, Iff. .!«'. tel III. p. 2-ltJ, and that of this same goddess (if I recollect For, in the first place, the brackets at Ambar- niith are all monstrous or conventional figures ; secondly, though the Ganespuri lady would be quite in the fashion among those of Ambar- ufitli in the matter of coiffure, they are all highly adorned, and she in the garb of nature; and while she is just such a sonsy lass as may have been bathing in the sacred spring under the eyes of the sculptor, they are all deformed to that slim-waisted, huge-breasted figure dear to the heart of modern Hind a artists and poets. I From Wadowli a pass called the Gunj K h i n d leads to Gnnj, in the Ware Taluku. It is barely passable to light carts ; but there are two good passes further east — those of Dongaste and Saprnnda. At G u n j there is a small tank, well supplied by springs, which apparently was in former days faced with stone walls and good ghats, and surrounded by a group of Hindu tem- ples of more than ordinary number and sanctity. But " when the Firangi lok came, the gods all ran away." W a z r i b ft i escaped through the hills to her present abode. Parasurama was apparently short-winded, for he only got about half a mile up the mountain close by, and another temple has since been raised to him at the spot where he pulled up. K ;"i 1 k ;1 15 h a w a n J plnnged into the foundation of her own temple,t which, being perhaps protected by her sub- terraneous presence, remains in better preserva- tion than the others. It is a small and very solid building with a shrine and mandap, the latter partly supported by pillars carved with figures of wrestlers, fighting elephants, Ac, rude enough, but a good deal better than modern Hindu sculpture in these parts. " Hemad Pant built it" — of course. Of the other temples only tho platforms remain in situ, with part of the superstructure scattered around in ruin. Near the ruin south of the tank is an upright slab, on which is carved an incident similar to that mentioned by Herodotus as having occurred before his visit to a place in Egypt when " yvvaiKi rpceyos ffiiaryfTO avaav8or- The carving is very rude, and has been, 1 suspect, the work of a recent artist upon a paving-stone not originally intended for the purpose. It is wor- shipped with much devotion and red paint by right) at Chad, where, on the approach of thp Mnsalmans rang into a tank beside her temple, the tank and templo, the latter adume rather likoaMasaimao tomb. " ar* alive at this day to hear W rank . a ™2 n ? . triple lions of Chaul— 360 temples, 300 tanks, and 360 shoaU in the river.